Chapter 209: Eyes and mouth wide open
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
After some time, Pei Zi Yun noticed that the streets were lined with stalls and houses in very close proximity with each other. They looked like a set of teeth, dense and packed. There numerous people as well. Although it was early autumn, boats pulled up to sell their merchandise. Yu Yun Jun remained silent for a long time before she finally asked, "What are you going to do about Wei Ang, the son of Ji Bei Hou?"
"When we came under attack and summoned all our disciples back, he didn’t answer the call to arms."
Pei Zi Yun glanced out and thought. He had a look of worry etched within his eyes as he glanced at the multitude of people walking down the streets. After a long time, he then spoke out, "Actually all those years ago, Senior brother Wei Ang and I were extremely close."
"Senior brother Wei was extremely refined and wise. He was good to people and even better to his friends. Many people around admired him for the person that he was. Whenever I wrote a poem, he would be the first to read it. I’ve always thought that we would remain close friends for a long time."
"Who would’ve expected Ji Bei Hou to have such a vile heart, and even to link up with the Japanese pirates. His plan would never have been successfully, but at the same time I couldn’t stand by idly and allow him to pillage the innocent village. That’s when our conflict began."
"Soon after, brother Wei started linking up with the eunuch from King Lu’s mansion. They then hatched a plan to kill me." Speaking up to this point, he revealed an extremely regretful look.
"That day I went to meet him at the Rushing Duke shrine. That was when he poisoned my tea. I already had a feeling that my tea would be poisoned. I took my own flask of wine and took a big sip. I am an extremely good drinker. But at that point in time, the wine I brought was the spiciest wine. Just drinking it made my throat burn, and tears rolled down my cheek. The betrayal was too much for me to bear. It was then that I composed a poem."
"If only we met each other once, nothing sorrowful would happen. It’s not unusual to change people’s minds, as their hearts are paved with volatile intentions." Pei Zi Yun recited his poem, his voice cracked while it lingered and echoed on within the oxcart. The lively noise on the outside contrasted deeply with the intense silence within the cart.
When Yu Yun Jun heard this, her face turned sad as she sighed, "Actually, he was good when he was younger…."
She then refused to continue speaking.
"But I understand that everyone has ambition to succeed. Nevermind that he let me down. But when the sect was in trouble, and he didn’t answer. This showed a clear lack of morals on his part." He then mumbled to himself, "If I were to give him another chance, and let him take on a task. If he were to do it, that would mean that he still has the sect in heart."
"But if he refuses to do it, what’s the point of remaining as a disciple of the sect?"
"Wei Ang showed open defiance against sect orders and refused to return when he was summoned. If the sect does not punish him, it sends a signal that people can get away from disobeying. Would that not encourage people to rebel?"
At this point, Pei Zi Yun sighed deeply, "This matter is not of utmost importance. Wait for me to finish the matter with the Governor, and restore the sect’s stability. When all that has been achieved, I shall then issue the order to cancel out the names of the disciples who failed to heed our call in times of need."
"Not only will I cancel out their names. These disciples had gained from our sect by learning cultivation and martial arts techniques, and refused to be grateful. I shall hunt them down one by one." His heart was heavy as he exhaled deeply. "To be honest, I finally understood that there are many things I have no choice but to do."
"It’s easy to allow emotions to take control, and take the easy way out. But if I were to do that and forgive them, what about the rules? What if the grand scheme of things are being affected?"
Yu Yun Jun looked at the anxious Pei Zi Yun and decided to console him, "Your words are all very logical. If they were just ordinary outer disciples, we could forget about them. But actual disciples who received Dao arts and martial arts from us must not be allowed to flee from us. If not, how else will we survive and continue handing down our skills?"
"There’s no such thing under the heavens."
As she spoke she then laughed, "You’ve only been a Sect Leader for less than ten days, but you’ve been handling all the matters extremely well. You’re not too aggressive, and yet not soft. All the Sect Elders feel that it was the right choice to pick you for this role."
Pei Zi Yun returned the smile, "Actually my innate talents are very average. It’s just that I had many strokes of luck which enabled me to escape difficult situations. But I actually have to be extremely careful, as though I’m treading across thin ice."
This stroke of luck which he was speaking of was actually referring to his second chance at life, and the experience of the original owner. Clearly, this was a secret which he would never say. Yu Yun Jun thought about what he said and laughed, "You are extremely gifted with intelligence. If you say your innate talents are average, then there won’t be any outstanding people around."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head and didn’t speak.
The wind blew across, and the pair felt refreshed. Yu Yun Jun paused for some time before deciding to speak. All of a sudden, she heard the sound of someone snoring.
When she turned around to look, Pei Zi Yun was already asleep.
He actually could fall asleep within the small cart room, and yet sleep soundly despite the rough roads. This sight made Yu Yun Jun giggle, although her heart ached for him. She gently adjusted his posture before sighing as she shot him a glance.
Ever since she had accepted this disciple, he faced many fights and challenges. There was trouble with Holy Jail Sect, Ji Bei Hou, Dark Altar Sect and King Lu. He even rushed back in time for the big battle for the sect’s survival and was instrumental in turning the tides. Soon after he inherited the Sect by becoming the Sect Leader and was faced with a multitude of challenges. It was tough on him, hence she allowed him to sleep.
Fu Mansion
Pei Zi Yun woke up abruptly and realized that he was still within the ox-cart. It was parked by the yard and the wind was blowing gently through the opened windows of the carriage. He looked outside and realized that the sun was leaning towards the west. He had taken such a long nap. At this point his hair was in a mess, he got off the carriage to adjust his robes. He then walked into the house.
When he entered the living room, he saw Yu Yun Jun speaking to High Scholar Fu. From time to time, Scholar Fu would frown. He caught a glimpse of Chu Xia as well, wondering to himself when did she arrive as well. At this point she was seated down, and listening to their conversation.
Pei Zi Yun coughed out, which caught the attention of Yu Yun Jun and Scholar Fu. Seeing that Pei Zi Yun had arrived, they all stood up to welcome him.
"It seems like master Top Scorer is now the Sect Leader." Scholar Fu smiled. He wasn't a disciple of Free Cloud Sect. If anything, he was nothing more than a close friend to the Sect. Hence, he didn't have to bow. He made some small talk before keeping his smile to ask, "I heard that you went to pay the Governor a visit, but it didn't turn out well?"
At this point Pei Zi Yun sat down. Chu Xia stood up to pour some tea for him. With a sigh, he explained, "The Governor used his health as an excuse to avoid me."
"Pop" Hearing these words, Chu Xia was visibly upset. She placed the cup down on the table and spoke out loudly, "How can this Governor be so unfeeling and emotionless. Didn't you deliver the policy on exterminating the pirates to help him? Soon after you rescued him from danger and saved his life. He was commended and praised by the Emperor for his good works, which was actually your doing. How could he be so ungrateful. This is infuriating."
Pei Zi Yun retrieved the cup of tea and took a sip before speaking out, "We shall take one step at a time, and not jump to conclusions."
Scholar Fu laughed out as well, "That’s the attitude most officials have. Or rather, that’s very normal human reaction, and wouldn’t surprise Zi Yun. You should teach Chu Xia about such matters."
Chu Xia was still apparently unhappy, "The Governor doesn’t know how to maintain relationships."
Pei Zi Yun looked helpless, "This is actually your duty. But it’s okay, I shall explain it to her."
He then stopped smiling and spoke out, "Officials are actually very particular about relationships. In fact, they emphasize heavily on maintaining relationships."
"But the official courts, or rather society, are more particular about rules and laws, because that’s where their power and authority come from."
"Everyone’s is equal when it comes to life. But the normal citizens are willing to sacrifice money, sacrifice their lives, and sacrifice their offspring for the greater good. Soldiers are willing to die for it as well. But when they do die, their families only receive a couple of silver taels as compensation. This has become the norm in society, and anyone who diverges from this norm are thought to be evil."
"The deputy magistrates have to demonstrate heroism and loyalty, which would be rewarded by the Imperial Court."
"As for the magistrates, they don’t have to risk their lives. All they have to do is to be slightly more hardworking and make no mistakes or a decent contribution in order to benefit to the entire nation."
"When it comes to the Governor, all that’s required of him would be to show immense loyalty to the Emperor. Since he’s a nobility, his life is precious, that goes without saying."
"Let’s speak of a hypothetical situation, where our nation is in its weakest hour. We had only two thousand soldiers, but the enemy had twenty thousand. The situation was critical, and battle was about to break out in the middle of the night. A fierce skirmish would follow."
"The Emperor knew that his death is inevitable. At this point, a mere foot soldier stepped in to save his life. In fact, he manages to kill off the leading general and end the battle. If you wish to speak of merits, he had earned himself merit on two fronts. The first is in saving the Emperor from death. The second was winning the war by killing the general. In doing so, he established the Imperial Qi."
"But since this soldier is just a mere foot soldiers, the deed of killing a general and saving the Emperor is far too honorable for him to bear. Should people find out about this, it wouldn’t reflect well on anyone. They thus found an excuse to drag him out and have him beheaded."
"Everyone around who witnessed this felt that it was such a shame, since this man didn’t deserve to die."
"At last, the Emperor pitied him and sent someone to stop his execution and return him back to camp. He was promoted to an official of the eighth rank. However, his career didn’t progress and he was always edged out by other officials. At last, he died in another war as a seventh ranked official."
"After his death, the Emperor remembered him and conferred him a title as a count."
"When a normal civilian makes a great contribution, he would be lucky to receive a small amount of money as reward and maybe a promotion to an official. If he’s unlucky, he would be killed in cold blood."
"Should a deputy magistrate make a great contribution, he would be promoted three ranks."
"But if a Governor makes a great contribution, his reward would be immense, and he would see wealth and honor for the rest of his days."
"Whether this contribution was big or small, what’s the point of speaking about it? It makes no difference." Pei Zi Yun said.
That was why when he wrote the Peace Document, he only wrote a third of it. If he had written too much, it would seem like he was responsible for the entire idea. This might get him killed, since the royal family would hate to feel indebted to someone, or feel like they owe their success to someone."
"When it came to the policy on exterminating pirates, the Governor had already acceded to my request by writing a note to the Grand Princess. Hence, even if I knew that the policy benefited the population, benefited the Governor, the society and the entire nation, how could I have the cheek to presume that he still owe me a favor?"
Speaking this way, Pei Zi Yun laughed out. That was the same for favors between high ranking officials and nobility. After offering them a glass of water, they might find all kind of ways to ensure that their debt had been paid. What about if you rescued a nobility from the fire and saved his life? The debt to this person would be settled if he were killed instead.
There was a story. A person saved the life of another person. Soon after, they met once again by chance. He then insisted that his benefactor followed him home, so that he could repay the favor. He then asked his wife, "How should I repay my savior and benefactor?"
The wife replied, "Why not repay him with a thousand horses?"
"No, a thousand horses wouldn’t be enough to repay the gratitude I feel."
The wife then replied, "What about two thousand horses?"
The man shook his head, "Still not enough."
The wife then replied, "If that’s the case, why not kill him!"
Hence the husband and wife plotted and had the man killed. This was because the man’s status was too low. What if the roles were reversed, and a socially higher ranked man rescued someone of a lower class?
The man of lower class would tear from gratitude, "Thank you master for saving my life. Not only would I crush and grind my bones to ensure that my life belongs to master. Even all my offsprings wouldn’t be enough to repay my gratitude."
Hence, not only would he become a slave to this man, his future generations would all become slaves to him as well.
But there’s no need to speak of such men. The words spoken earlier were deep and philosophical enough. Pei Zi Yun took a sip of tea and saw that all three of them looked at him with mouths and eyes wide open. He then continued to speak, "Master, can we shift my mother and all my relatives to the sect mountain. The Leader of True Element Sect and the rest of the Elder are there. It should be safe enough."
Yu Yun Jun heard this words and regained her senses. She then looked at Pei Zi Yun and asked, "What about you?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed out loud and looked anxious but regained his confidence, "Don’t worry about me. With a sword in my hand, there aren’t many people who can contain me."
Hearing Pei Zi Yun’s words, nobody could refute him. Yu Yun Jun looked at Pei Zi Yun, whose eyes emanated killing intent. She then recalled the entire journey he took, back to the sect. How many people could take him on?
She was then relieved. It’s just that that she would be apart from Chu Xia. She then sighed. When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he looked up and saw that Yu Yun Jun’s face looked haggard and aged. She had been worrying about Free Cloud Sect.
Pei Zi Yun then said, "Master, Elder Zhao and I have spoken about this. The monastery now have five hundred mu of land. Since we have the title of True Sovereign, we can buy up to a thousand mu of land. This would benefit the Sect. It seems like Elder Zhao must’ve been busy with many other matters, as he hasn’t done it. When you return this time, I have to trouble you to do that."